Making the case for quarterback in the first round

DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame

This guy has an absolute cannon for an arm, and has all the tools to be a spectacular player at the next level. Kizer was a two-year starter for the Fighting Irish, and won his share of games at the collegiate level. What’s concerning about the Toledo native is his lack of production, and sometimes shaky mechanics.

Until recently, Kizer was being mocked anywhere from the late first to the middle second round, but since Tony Romo’s retirement he’s been projected anywhere from the middle to late first. Without the elite production in college, it’s hard to project where Kizer’s game fits in at the next level. His 5,809 passing yards over the past two seasons are dwarfed by every other quarterback projected to go in the first round, but like I said, the tools are there.

Kizer’s 6-foot-4, 233-pound frame is exactly what teams are looking for at the next level, and he has some mobility despite his size. He’s not exceptionally fast with a 4.83-second 40-yard dash time, but he’s sneaky athletic. Kizer could be a sleeper pick for Kansas City if other quarterbacks aren’t available and Dorsey doesn’t want to trade up.

Patrick Mahomes II, Texas Tech

I’ve never seen a quarterback like Mahomes in all the years I’ve watched football. This guy makes throws that should be flat out impossible — and he makes them look easy. Scouts have compared the kid to Brett Favre and he hasn’t even touched an NFL practice field.

Mahomes, whose father was a major league pitcher, has the pedigree you look for in a future NFL game changer. His ability to throw off his back foot is reminiscent of those Johnny Football highlights everyone ate up before he won the Heisman. The difference between Johnny and Mahomes is, frankly, that Mahomes didn’t have first-round talent to throw to.

Back when Manziel lit up college football, he had Mike Evans, Cedric Ogbuhei, and Jake Matthews. Have you ever even heard of Jonathan Giles, Keke Coutee, or Dylan Cantrell? Those were Mahomes’ top three receivers in 2016 when he put up 5,052 yards and 41 touchdowns through the air, not to mention his 12 rushing touchdowns.

The detractors will say these numbers are just part of the Texas Tech Air Raid system, but Mahomes is undeniably talented on film. Here’s the exciting part— the Chiefs are rumored to like him the most out of all the signal callers in this draft.

Dorsey and coach Andy Reid were jilted from a position to take Paxton Lynch, who they were rumored to like a lot last year, so they might be trigger happy to draft Mahomes no matter the cost. We’ll have to see how draft day shakes out, but if the Chiefs find a way to land this kid, they could be in for Super Bowls in the near future.